1. Field of the Invention
A personal water craft designed primarily for use by one person and including a rigid hull having buoyancy chambers attached to and extending along the sides and about the bow, the water craft being collapsible to facilitate portability and stowage.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, personal water crafts have become increasingly popular for both sport and recreational use. Generally, these personal water crafts are designed for high performance and run on two stroke motors that power an impeller inside a jet pump, producing a substantial thrust. The engine displacements generally range from 432 cc's to 750 cc's, generating about 50 horse power at approximately 6,000 rpm's. The use of a jet pump to produce thrust eliminates the hazards associated with an exposed propeller as found on most engine driven marine vessels, thus lending to their popularity.
One particular type of personal water craft, commonly referred to as a WET BIKE, is designed for seated operation, with one or two passengers, ridden basically in the same manner as a motorcycle or snowmobile with controls on the handlebars that steer a jet pump nozzle on the stern. For safety, some type of emergency shut off switch that attaches to either the driver's wrist or life jacket is usually provided, such that in the event the driver is thrown off, the engine is interrupted causing the craft to stop.
Another type of personal water craft is what is commonly referred to as a JET SKI which is designed to be operated in a standing or kneeling position requiring substantial skill by the operator for balance and maneuvering, due to the low stability of the craft especially at lower speeds. JET SKIS ar fully intended for use as a recreational vehicle, rather than a means of transportation, wherein the operator can expect to get wet from spray and in most instances, frequent falls. Personal water crafts, including WET BIKES and JET SKIS, are being designed to be increasingly powerful due to a significant youth appeal demanding high performance. The power and speed of personal water crafts have increased to the point of rendering the vessels dangerous to both operators and surrounding swimmers and boaters. As a result of recent fatal accidents, as well as the noise which these high performance water crafts generate, they are susceptible to state legislative threats and in many areas their use has become limited, restricted, or totally banned.
Another type of personal water crafts are known as rigid inflatable boats (RIB) which have rigid hulls in combination with an inflatable chamber for increased stability and safety. In most instances, RIB's are used as dinghies, as service vessels, or as a recreational boat. RIB's range in size from 8 feet to 40 feet in length and are usually powered by outboard engines of at least 3 horsepower. Recently, RIB's have been modified to be impelled by jet drivers similar to those found on JET SKIS and WATER BIKES, making them safer and appealing to older age groups.
A particular problem associated with the above-mentioned personal water crafts, including JET SKIS, WET BIKES, and rigid inflatable boats, result from the overall size and weight of the crafts. While most of these water crafts are designed for use by only one or two individuals, transporting the water craft to and from the location of use is rather difficult, requiring several adults and trailers or dollies for moving on land. Because many of these water crafts weigh over 500 pounds, it is often necessary to use a small crane or davit to launch the craft when ramps or beach access is not available. Also, the size of these water crafts requires a large vehicle, such as a pickup truck or a trailer, to transport the water craft to the water from the storage location.
While the above-mentioned personal water crafts are useful and certainly popular for their intended purpose, there still exists a need for a personal water craft which is specifically adapted to safely transport an individual user in either a standing or seated position gently and stably across the surface of calm, shallow waters at relatively low speeds.